Forming Powerful P

aragraph
Essential Study Skills
and
Fundamentals of Busin
ess Communication
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the anatomy of a
paragraph
2. Able to create a powerful topic
sentence, supporting sentences,
and an effective concluding
sentence
3. Understand and able to write a
unified, cohesive, and coherence
paragraph
4. Acknowledge the many types of
paragraphs and their uniqueness

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication

Anatomy of a Paragraph and Its Definition
A paragraph is a group of sentences about a topic
Topic Sentence: Topic + Controlling Idea

Supporting Sentence

Supporting Sentence

Supporting Sentence

Concluding Sentence

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 3

Anatomy of a Paragraph and Its Definition

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 4

Topic Sentence
Let’s analyze these topic sentences!

• Hiking is the best way to explore nature closely.

• My uncle had frightening experience as a young man.

• Text messaging has become popular among teenagers.

• Effective time management requires four easy steps.

• Every college students should take a computer course.

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 5

Topic Sentence
• What 2 important elements are found in a topic sentence?
• Where can a topic sentence be found in a paragraph?

Remember: a topic sentence must not be too general or too specific

Compare these 3 topic sentences
• A surprise party is a kind of party.
• There were 14 guests at my surpise birthday party.
• My classmates gave me an unforgettable surprise party for my 18th birthday.

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 6

 Supporting Sentences

Let’s analyze
these
Supporting sentences!

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 7

Supporting Sentences
• What is the use of supporting sentences?
• How are supporting sentences developed?

Remember: Include definitions (if needed), explanations, and examples

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 8

Concluding Sentence
Let’s analyze this example!

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 9

Concluding Sentence
• What is the strategy to write a concluding sentence?

Remember: Some signal words might be used to introduce the concluding

sentence. Those signal words might be: ??

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 10

Paragraph Unity
Let’s analyze this example!

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 11

Paragraph Unity
• What does it mean?
• How do you make a paragraph unified?

Remember, a unified paragraph:

• There is only 1 controlling idea in the topic sentence.
• All supporting sentences support a single idea.
• The concluding sentence should restate the idea in the topic sentence.

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 12

Paragraph Coherence and Cohesiveness
Let’s analyze this example!
Which of the following paragraphs is preferable? Why?

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 13

Paragraph Coherence and Cohesiveness
How do you make a paragraph coherent and cohesive?
• Organize the supporting sentences in logical order
• Use conjunctions and expressions to show relationship among sentences
• Use pronouns

Remember, a coherent and cohesive paragraph:

• Ideas have a logical flow
• The relationship between the sentences is clear and connected to each other

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 14

Types of Paragraph
Let’s analyze this paragraph!

Descriptive, Example,
Process, Narative, Opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 15

Types of Paragraph
Let’s analyze this paragraph!

Descriptive, Example,
Process, Narative, Opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 16

Types of Paragraph
Let’s analyze this paragraph!

Descriptive, Example,
Process, Narative, Opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 17

Types of Paragraph
Let’s analyze this paragraph!

Descriptive, Example,
Process, Narative, Opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 18

Types of Paragraph
Let’s analyze this paragraph!

Descriptive, Example,
Process, Narative, Opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 19

Types of Paragraph
What can we conclude?

• Descriptive paragraph: the writer describes a person, a place, or a thing

• Example paragraph: the writer explains a topic by giving examples
• Process paragraph: the writer explains how to do something step by step
• Opinion paragraph: the writer expresses his or her feelings, ideas, and
opinions about a topic
• Narative paragraph: the writer tells a story

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 20

Opinion Paragraph

Objective:
The writer presents an opinion and tries to persuade readers that the
opinion is a good one.
In conclusion: the writer tries to make reader agree with his or her
opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 21

 Opinion Paragraph
How to organize?
• Topic sentence of the paragraph: introduce the topic and state the writer’s
opinion about the topic
• Supporting sentenes of the paragraph:
1. Support the writer’s opinion
2. Use facts, explanations, and personal experiences to support their opinion
• Concluding sentence of the paragraph:
1. Restate the writer’s opinion in different words
2. Comments on the opinion in some way
3. Summarizes the main reasons for the writer’s opinion

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 22

 PARAGRAPH

Opinion
Paragraph

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 23

 PARAGRAPH

Opinion
Paragraph

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 24

Production Time!

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 25

Production Time! (total of 45 minutes)
Write 1 opinion paragraph to one selected topic. Before you begin to write,
revew the following time management strategy:
1. Brainstorm (5 minutes) – Write down your stance or opinions on the selected
topic. Then, think of reasons why you think that is. After that, choose the best
stance or opinion for your paragraph.
2. Outlining (5 minutes) *attachment 2 in LMS
3. Writing (25 minutes) – Use the brainstorming notes and outline to write your
first draft.
4. Editing (10 minutes) – When you have finished your first draft, check it for
errors, using the provided checklist. *attachment 3 in LMS

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 26

Production Time! (total of 45 minutes)
Select 1 topic to be developed into a paragraph:
• Is online communication distorts physical relations?
• Has internet ruined record companies?
• Should there be an alternative to GPA?
• Do modern students rely too much on technology?
• Do smartphone applications lead to addiction?
• Is global warming a hoax?
• May politicians represent media outlets?

Essential Study Skills and Fundamentals of Business Communication 27

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
--Robert Frost